Reader QuestionMy son is eleven years old and has just moved to senior prep. This means that they no longer sit in one class the whole day but are required to move from room to room for different subjects.Now the problem is he carries his books and stationery for one or two classes in his hand and sometimes forgets his stuff in the room. And because the classroom is then used by another group, he consequently loses his stuff.Is there a way I can get him to be better organized. I am thinking of making him a carrier bag with marked separators for different subjects that he can carry with him, from room to room as they are not allowed to carry their rucksacks which they leave in the bag room in the morning. Any ideas?Ruguru from KenyaOur ResponseDear Ruguru,Thanks for your note. Carrying books, etc. from one room to another is a new habit for your child to get used to. It generally takes 21 days to form a habit that sticks. Even so, you’re right in asking about a system that could help him remember.If he’s allowed to bring a carrier bag from room to room, and you can make one with marked separators, that will most certainly help. It’s always good to have one bag or sack to hold everything, rather than trying to fumble through the hallways with tons of loose books and papers.If you do this for your son, he needs to be instructed to keep everything he needs in his sack, rather than in the desk. This way, he only has to remember to grab ONE item when leaving the classroom, and not 10 or more.In addition, talk to him about asking himself, before he leaves class, ‘What do I need for the next class?’ If he gets into the habit of doing this, every single class, he’ll be less likely to forget his bag.If there’s any way to use a reminder system, like a watch that beeps every 30 minutes (or whatever the length of the class time is), that reminder will prompt him to grab his bag before he moves on to the next class.Be sure your child is getting enough sleep and not eating too much sugar, both of which could affect his attention span and memory.Finally, start a rewards system at home. For every class that he remembers to bring his sack, he gets a point. He can then build points for a week or two for prizes you have appointed. Prizes can be simple, like a trip to the ice cream shoppe, getting to pick out a new book, or staying up an hour later on the weekend.Reader Clinic SubmittalHave an organizing question? We'd love to hear from you.Please fill in your answers to all questions below. Then press SEND. If your browser does not allow you to use forms, just type all of your answers in an email and send the email to Your tips and ideas may be printed in one of our future newsletters as a featured Reader Tip. In addition, it may be published in one of our future books, with your name, city and state!By submitting this form, you agree to allow us to reprint your tip(s) or idea(s) in our future publications. Be sure to read our newsletter each week to find out if your tip was chosen to be featured.Thank you!Maria GraciaTo submit your Organizing Question, please fill out the form below:All fields are required
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